There are many things that people say about cholesterol, but many of them are myths. The facts about cholesterol should be discussed properly before jumping to conclusions. First of all, there are some general aspects about cholesterol that should be known. Cholesterol is an ingredient of all the cell membranes that form the body tissues. It is formed of two important ingredients – lipid and sterol. You may be amazed finding out that even some plant membranes contain cholesterol.

The biochemical process in the body cannot take place without cholesterol, but the cholesterol responsible for the heart diseases and related aspects of the blood compositions is the “bad” cholesterol or low density lipoprotein. The “good” cholesterol is called the high density lipoprotein and it plays an important role in the body, even in the case of the metabolic process of some vitamins – A, D, E, and K. cholesterol pays an important role in the synthesis of the sex hormones and of the steroid hormones. Some other important roles of the cholesterol are also neglected and the main aspects that we know about it are not the difference between the “bad” and the “good” one and not the important roles it plays in the body. The popular low-fat and low cholesterol diets almost annihilated any type of positive information about the needed fats and cholesterol for the well-functioning of the body.

In many cases the level of cholesterol doesn’t have anything to do with the discovered heart disease. Even the long term low fat dieting seems to be useless for the prevention of some diseases that were thought to be related with the level of cholesterol – heart disease mainly and several types of cancer. Moreover, the low fat diet seems to have no spectacular results in the weight loss process and in the process of keeping the same weight. It is also important to make a distinction between the main types of fats: bad fats are considered the saturated fats and trans fats and good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Avoiding all types of fats is effectiveless and useless, but being aware of the good fats and replacing the bad fats may have the expected results. In order to clarify the relation between the fats and the cholesterol level in the blood we may say that in many cases the blood cholesterol level is influenced by the mix of the fats, by the improper use of the fats in the daily eating program. And this is due to the unawareness of the mentioned aspects and of their relevance in the daily eating program.

Nevertheless, high levels of cholesterol in the blood may cause some health problems. One of these problems is the formation of cholesterol deposits in the blood, contributing to the atherosclerosis. The consequences of this process may be the formation of blood clots, stroke, heart attack and even death. In order to avoid these health problems a balance between the level of the “good” (high density lipoproteins) and “bad” (low density lipoproteins) should be achieved and maintained. The risk factors for atherosclerosis grow with the level of the low density lipoproteins.

The main idea before jumping to wrong conclusions about cholesterol and fats is to be informed properly. It is very important to distinguish the differences between the “good” and “bad” cholesterol and between the good and bad types of fat in order to choose the right type of food. Some lists about the products that contain monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fats may be very helpful in creating a healthy eating program. These aspects may actually help in preventing the diseases related with the cholesterol level in the blood.